Delhi Court to consider NIA's report on Liyaqat Shah

A Delhi court on Friday set August 20 for considering a charge sheet filed by the NIA giving a clean chit to Sayyed Liyaqat Shah, who was arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly planning to execute attacks in the national capital in 2013.

According to court sources, Additional Sessions Judge Neena Bansal Krishna deferred the hearing for August 20 as the concerned judge hearing the matter was on leave on Friday.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on January 24 dropped charges against Shah in a charge sheet filed against Sabir Khan Pathan, alleging that he was responsible for placing weapons and explosives in a guest house near Jama Masjid here.

Delhi Police alleged that on the basis of his disclosure statement, the Special Cell raided the Haji Arafat Guest House and recovered arms, ammunition and explosives.

The NIA filed a charge sheet against Pathan under charges dealing with forgery and various section of the Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act.

Pathan is absconding.

Shah was arrested by Delhi Police Special Cell on March 20, 2013 while he was returning from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to the Kashmir Valley via Nepal.

He was later released on bail.

Jammu and Kashmir Police had protested the arrest, saying Shah was returning home as per the state government's policy of allowing people, who had ex-filtrated to PoK in the early 1990s, to come back.